Bernie,
This is a hard skills that most still need to work on.
Philip Campbell
How do we get students to quit focusing on ME!!! I always think of the sea gulls in "Finding Nemo"...MINE MINE MINE... A lot of my students have not had role models who get up and go to work every day. They don't realize how important it will be for them to be at work everyday and be focused. Please put down your cell phones and work. I try to set the example by being there everyday - being on time - and being positive. And how do we get them to use three phrases some of us learned as children - please, thank you, and you're welcome.
Kathaleen,
Great questions. You can start by asking them what a good model would be? Once they tell you ask them if they think they could do that? Usually they will say yes, and then hold them to that standard. What is nice is they came up with them. Not you. They can't blame you for forcing them to comply.
Philip Campbell
I think that the most difficult soft skill to teach are communication skills, and problem solving. Each of these takes a lot of time and hands on activities. Also, each situation is going to be different, so trying to teach each type of situation will be difficult.
Leslie,
We all need to work on communication. As much as we need to learn how to get the message out, others need to work equally as hard to understand the messages.
Philip Campbell
Mangaging emotions when you know someone is making an attempt to openly put you down in front of others
janice,
Managing emotions is difficult when someone is under stress.
Philip Campbell
Professionalism and managing emotions seems to be my area of problems when it comes to a couple of our students. I have stressed the importance of yes know your job and doing it to the best of their ability, but they seem not to take the professionalism piece as important. I reiterate HIPAA often and the fines and the secret audits but again they cant leave their personal issues at the door when they get to their place of employment.
Integrity seems to be a skill that needs work with many students. The value of getting students to do what they are asked to do and should do on time and with an adequate level of quality is a skill that has not been widely accepted or adopted, it seems. Thus, instructors need to hold students accountable, as they continually remind them why they are doing it!
Teaching the students to be more concerned with "What can I do for you?" instead of "What is in it for me?" and always reminding them that they may have the knowledge but if they don't know how to use it effectively with their clients and coworkers, they won't be able to survive in business.
Teaching my students on how to have empathy in the healthcare field can be a bit challenging. They have to realize every person is different and you have to treat them as indidviduals and to put themselves in those patients scenarios to help them understand.
In my opinion, the most difficult soft skill to teach is attention to detail. Often students glance over my demo and fail to appreciate the intricacies and the reasoning behind the actions.
I feel the most difficult for me is to teach them to work in groups considering many personalities and character traits...
Antonio,
Keep working with them. There will be benefits.
Philip Campbell
Jimmy,
That is hard to do. Practice with help.
Philip Campbell
Since I teach surgical technology, I think the hardest skill to teach is effective and concise communication. The students are learning a whole new type of jargon that is used in the field every day, and this is difficult to wrok around for some students.
Attention to detail and dependability are soft skills that are sometime difficult to teach. Students are usually in a hurry to complete assignments and often sacrifice attention to detail. Some students don’t quite understand the importance of attending classes. Their lack of dependability has a negative effect on their learning process.
My feeling is that the most important skill you can teach students[I am in nursing] is integrity and assuming responsibility for your actions. There should be zero tolerance for cheating and there has to be consequences.
students have to be taught this as well
Carol,
I am sure that many more people share your feelings on this.
Philip Campbell
